Keg Beer Economics

Why Buy a Kegerator?

When you buy a kegerator, you're not only able to conveniently store large amounts of cold draft beer, but you can also save over 60% in costs, compared to buying the same volume of beer in cans or bottles.

Consider that the average cost for a standard half gallon keg of Budweiser is approximately $100. A standard keg contains 15.5 gallons, or 1,984 ounces. A case of Budweiser contains 24 12-ounce cans (288 total ounces) and costs about $23. To get the same volume by ounce as a standard keg, you would need to buy seven (7) cases of Budweiser for about $160 - resulting in over $55 in savings per keg. This means by the time you purchase your tenth keg, you will have offset the cost of your kegerator in savings, breaking even while enjoying high-quality draft beer at home. The savings can be even greater for some brands of beers - with kegerator drinkers breaking even in as few as eight kegs. Consult the chart below to see how much you can save.

Beer Brand:

Average Standard / Half Barrel Keg Cost (15.5 gallons / 1984 oz.)

Average Case Cost (24 12-oz. cans / 288 oz.)

No. Cases Needed by Volume to Equal Keg

Savings per Keg ($ USD)

No. Kegs Needed to Break Even on Kegerator

Budweiser:

$103.75

$23.50

6.88

$57.93

8.61

Miller Lite:

$103.75

$22.00

6.88

$46.61

10.7

Coors Light:

$94.75

$20.00

6.88

$42.85

11.64

Corona:

$125.00

$26.50

6.88

$57.32

8.7

Michelob Ultra:

$107.00

$24.20

6.88

$59.49

8.38

Miller High Life:

$99.00

$19.38

6.88

$34.40

14.5

Guinness:

$167.00

$35.00

6.88

$73.80

6.76

Save Time and Energy with Keg Beer

Drinking keg beer has other savings, too. The "greener" way to drink, the use of a refillable, resusable, and recyclable keg is far less time- and resource-intensive than consuming bottled or canned beer. Kegs store the equivalent of 165 cans of beer - lasting about one month refrigerated before beer loses freshness. The reusable keg can then be refilled, reducing waste and saving you time and money on more frequent beer runs. Kegs are also extremely durable and long-lasting. It's not uncommon for a single beer keg to dispense over 20,000 pints in its lifetime - the equivalent of over 27,000 cans and bottles requiring disposal.

Draft beer's environmental impact can be up to 68% lower than bottled beer - mostly due to packaging differences. Waste from distribution, retail, storage and disposal can be over 45% of a bottled micro-brew beer's CO2 emissions. The aluminum alone in 165 beer cans weighs five pounds, as compared with a standard, reusable keg that requires no packaging and produces no solid waste.